We all have our rituals as we unwind at the day's end. Maybe it's a cup of herbal tea or a few chapters of a great book, but those moments before bedtime can also be great for greening up your home. Beyond turning off the tap when you brush your teeth and lowering the thermostat, there are many ways to be both eco and efficient!
Every night after washing my face I use a homemade toner. Plain old rose water works beautifully, but I like to add a few drops of tea-tree oil to help sooth my generally irritable skin (just shake it up before each use). I prefer using organic cotton pads to apply the toner, but their disposable nature is somewhat problematic. I asked myself, "What else can I wipe up before this hits the trash?" Well, the answer was all around me. All of the surfaces in the bathroom benefited, but none more so than the toilet.
I don't mind getting my hands dirty, but cleaning the toilet is no favorite chore. Dust seems to accumulate at a fantastic rate around the hinges of the thing, and lets just say I don't love what lies under the lid. Reusing the toner-soaked cotton pads to quickly wipe these spots down as part of my routine has been a great solution. Now the bathroom is well maintained with the tiniest little gesture every night!
Another of my evening green practices occurs specifically during the winter months: reusing the remains from the previous night's hot-water-bottle. Indoor plants get a drink, or perhaps a dirty dinner pot is filled and left to soak overnight. Sometimes the water is used for the humidifier. Now and again it finds its way into my top loading washing machine (which is clever enough to detect water levels so as not to overflow later on).
Then there is the matter of coffee. As I prep the impending AM brew I often place the old grinds in a container by the littler box or in the fridge to act as a deodorizer. I'll even use a pinch of used grinds to exfoliate my face once every week or so.
Really, there are lots of ways to incorporate your bedtime auto-pilot actions into a greener lifestyle. Consider your own evening routine and you're sure to find an unexpected and easy way to creatively conserve.
Let us know what works for you!
(Images: MaryAnne Petrella)
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I love the coffee grinds suggestion. As of now I just toss them out (I do buy shade grown to prevent deforestation - but no excuse now to make them into garbage). Thanks!
The cotton balls seem like they could be replaced with hand cloths, couldn't they?
I agree with Emmi. It's a great idea if you want to use cotton pads, but a little washcloth or a crocheted disc would be just as good. I make reusable crocheted cotton pads for friends all the time and they swear by them.
Coffee grounds are great for your lawn (if you have one) or plants. Our lawn is always nice and green when we spread our used grounds on it.
another great post! Thanks Mary-Anne!
I've made a nice exfoliating soap (if you are so inclined) with old coffee and grinds. It was really nice. Our excess goes into the compost.
So funny, but great advice!!!
coffee ground are good for stopping snails getting at your plants in pots & so on (except the mega snails we have now).
Why does everyone always list not running the tap when cleaning your teeth? Surely no one reading a green living thing still does that?
I don't regularly drink coffee but when I do the grinds are for the plants.
I also recommend the knitted (or crocheted) cotton disks instead of the cotton pads if you really wanted something re-useable. I like them because they exfoliate gently as well as apply toner. I also use them to remove eyeliner since one side is soft and other kinda bumpy. Of course you probably wouldn't want to clean your toilet with them and I admit it can become un-green since I wash them separately - because I'm paranoid about what microbes my eyes are exposed to. I actually have enough to constitute a "small load" setting on my washer since I once went thru a knitting phase and knitted a whole bunch of washcloths the disks were made from my scraps.